


After the End

by Illogical1



Category: Agent Carter (TV), Captain America (Movies)
Genre: AU, Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Has Kids, Bucky Lives, Bucky gets married, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, Except Steve still crashes the plane, F/M, Family, Gen, Moving On, Romance, Short Chapters, The Author Regrets Nothing, Tissue Warning, at least I think so
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-27
Updated: 2018-02-26
Packaged: 2019-03-24 13:12:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 22
Words: 18,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13811886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Illogical1/pseuds/Illogical1
Summary: Bucky didn't actually remember the rock that had torn his arm off, or being rescued by Steve and the Commandoes, something he was immensely grateful for. He did however, remember the plane flight out of enemy territory and waking up in a medical tent short an appendage.Or, a look into what his life could have been, had Bucky not been recaptured by Hydra.





	1. Reconstruction

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all! This is a story I've been working on for well over a year and I am happy to say its finally finished. This idea came to me and I wanted to fully explore it, so this was just as much for me as it was for all of you. I hope you like it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing. All mistakes are mine.

It had been three weeks since Bucky had been signed in to the army hospital (big green medical tent) behind Allied lines in France following the train accident that had cost him his left arm. Of course, the loss of his arm had rendered Bucky unfit for duty and he would be honorably discharged from both medical care and the army in two more weeks. Bucky didn't actually remember the rock that had torn his arm off, or being rescued by Steve and the Commandoes, something he was immensely grateful for. He did however, remember the plane flight out of enemy territory and waking up in a medical tent short an appendage.

Bucky had pestered the poor nurses and doctors all the first week for information about his team until a letter from Colonel Phillips himself had arrived informing him that everyone was fine and to 'stop bothering the nurses or so help me Barnes, I'll bust you down to private so fast you won't know what hit you.' After that, Bucky quieted down. The loss of his arm had seriously done a number on him and he found himself sleeping more often than not.

He felt weak and useless. He'd never be able to find work when he got home. He'd dropped out of high school to get a job down at the docs when he was sixteen. Now manual labor was out of the question. Bucky would never be able to support a family.

Most of all, Bucky felt ugly. His left arm was a sickening stump, crisscrossed scars bandaged in layers of gauze. Without the weight of his arm, Bucky tended to lean heavily on his right side. No girl wanted that. Dames wanted big strong, handsome men who could provide for them and their children. Dames wanted a fella that could _dance_. Bucky no longer fit that description.

Bucky was eating his "breakfast", a bowl of grey, lumpy porridge and a cup of even worse coffee, moping about his arm when none other than Peggy Carter came sauntering into the tent. At least, Bucky thought it was Peggy. Her makeup and hair was immaculate as ever, but her eyes were rimmed with red and she carried an invisible weight that Bucky had never seen on her. She made her way across the tent and to his side with the same determination she'd always had, but this time it felt so much stronger.

Bucky tried to smile flirtatiously at her like he always had. "Agent Carter."

"Sergeant Barnes." Bucky could have sworn her voice cracked. She had bad news. That's the only logical reason why she'd be here. Bucky's shoulders slumped of their own accord.

"He's dead, isn't he?"

Peggy could only nod.

"How?"

"Schmitt was personally flying a plane full of explosives to New York. Steve…crashed it."

Bucky went cold. "He died alone?"

"No." Peggy said, forcefully shaking her head. "I was with him over the radio. Right up until-" Peggy broke off, shoulders shaking with soundless sobs.

"Hey," Bucky whispered, scooting over in his tiny cot to make room for her, "come here."

Peggy went. She collapsed into Bucky's good side, ashamed of herself for selfishly crying while Bucky was only just wrapping his head around the fact that Steve was dead. Bucky for his part, wordlessly wrapped his arm around Peggy's shoulders and gave in to his own tears.

X-X-X

One armed or not, discharged or not, army regulations were still a huge pain in Bucky's rear end. After a very long trip across the ocean aboard a medical ship with literally hundreds of other wounded soldiers, Bucky had spent another week at an army medical base in Boston, going through what seemed like novels of paper work, before finally being allowed to return home.

After his parents had been informed of what happened to both him and Steve, they'd cleaned out their meager apartment and canceled the lease. Bucky was grateful for that. He didn't think he could go back to that apartment without Steve. He felt like a stranger standing in front of his parent's door, duffle over his shoulder and hand poised to knock. He'd been thrilled to go home at first. But now it seemed like home had changed, or maybe it was Bucky who'd done the changing.

His fist had barely made contact with the door when it swung open and a tiny person barreled into him. In a flash, Bucky dropped his duffle and was on his knees holding Becca as tightly as possible. She was sobbing into his shoulder while Bucky tried to shush her tears. George and Winifred were right behind Becca and collapsed, gathering both of their children into their arms. Bucky finally gave in and cried, quietly saturating his father's shirt with tears while his mother rubbed his back and sang the lullabies Bucky never expected to hear again.

After an eternity, the family quietly went inside the house. Bucky had his first home cooked meal in months, but he hardly tasted it. As soon as it was polite to do so, he excused himself to his room and fell into bed.


	2. The Funeral

The days passed in an endless blur for Bucky. He woke up late in the day, picked Becca up from school, listened to her ramble a mile a minute as they walked home, then he'd do a few chores for his ma, eat dinner, and cry himself to sleep every night. He was depressed and he knew it, but he also couldn't bring himself to care. His mindless daily cycle, however, was broken by a call from Peggy Carter.

Bucky had been "reading" in his room when the phone rang. He flinched, but otherwise paid it no mind. Whoever was calling wasn't calling for him. He had just turned back to the page he'd been staring at for twenty minutes now, when his ma called for him.

"It's for you, James!"

Bucky sighed and heaved himself off the bed. When he got to the living room, his ma handed him the phone. "Hello?"

"Sergeant Barnes." Came Peggy's crisp voice. Bucky was mildly surprised, he'd never expected to hear from her again.

"What can I do for you, ma'am?"

"Steve's funeral needs to be arranged," Peggy stated hollowly. "You were listed as his next of kin, so legally his service is your responsibility. But I'm afraid that if you don't do something within the next few weeks, the army will make a show of it."

"They have no right to do that." He snapped angerly.

"I agree," Peggy replied. "But Steve was a hero. He was Captain America. The public will expect some kind of service, and I would much rather have a closed one than allow strangers to gawk and point, wouldn't you?"

"You're right." Bucky relented. "I'll make some arrangements and get back to you. Thank you for calling, Peggy."

"You're welcome, James." Peggy said before hanging up.

Bucky shook slightly as he sat the phone back on the receiver.

"Who was that, honey?" His ma asked from the kitchen. Bucky didn't say anything as he made his way over. From the doorway, he could see his mother drying the dishes. She paused when she noticed his presence. "What's wrong, Jaime-boy?"

Bucky tried to keep his voice even, he failed. "D'ya know any good funeral directors, Mama?"

Winifred's eyes widened and her shoulders drooped. "Oh baby." She muttered sadly and gathered her son into her arms. Bucky could only cry brokenly as she rocked him back and forth.

X-X-X

The funeral was small but beautiful, exactly the way Steve would have wanted it. Only close friends and family had been invited. Outside the church, the paparazzi swarmed, trying to get just a glimpse of the great captain's coffin. Bucky clenched his jaw in anger. While he was trying to bury his closest friend and little brother, the world only cared about getting their gossip. They had no respect for the man who'd died to save them.

Bucky shoved his anger down as he stood to give the eulogy. He was once again dressed in uniform, with his hat tucked into his right arm and left sleeve pinned up. His heart had decided to migrate into his throat as he approached the podium.

_You can do this, Barnes._ He chastised himself. _You can do this for Steve._ Bucky refused to think that this would be the last thing he'd ever do for Steve.

"In the last few years, death has been at the forefront of my mind." Bucky started. "But I've never had to really deal with death until now. Sure, we were risking death every day, and I absolutely thought it was the end after the accident…but I never once thought death would happen to Steve."

Bucky paused to wipe the tears from his face. "Steve was so alive. He was so bright, I thought the darkness of war would never touch him. I was wrong. And yes, the world did lose a hero. The world lost the greatest hero it was ever going to get. But more importantly, we lost Steve Rogers. We lost a smart mouthed, stubborn, idiotic little punk. I lost my best friend, and I'm sorry I didn't do more for him in the end."

X-X-X

Bucky could only watch as the other Commandoes lowered the coffin into the ground. Due to the lack of his arm, Bucky wasn't able to help carry the casket. He'd grumbled about that, arguing that it wouldn't even be that heavy because there was no body. All they were burying was a dress uniform and Steve's oldest sketch book, but he had been forbidden by just about everyone.

Once the casket had been completely sealed by the ground, and everyone else had left, Bucky squatted down in front of the headstone.

Captain Steven G. Rogers

Brother, Friend, Hero

1918-1945

_'_ _Till the End of The Line_

"I'm so sorry, Steve," Bucky whispered as he touched the stone. "I miss you like crazy, Punk. Hopefully we'll see each other again…"

_'_ _Jerk.'_


	3. What Now?

After the funeral, the world moved on. Captain America became a comic book hero that little boys imitated, but it seemed that people forgot about the actual man. Bucky refused to. But Bucky also refused to live in depression and be a dead weight in his parent's house. In no way was he ready to try and live on his own, but that didn't mean he couldn't contribute to the rent. (His father telling him to get a job may or may not have also played a deciding factor in his decision.)

After a few (many) failed attempts at obtaining a decent job, Bucky lowered his definition of 'decent' and tried again. Funnily enough, he'd managed to get a position at the local comic book store. The same comic book shop that Steve used to draw for. Mr. Stan Lee, the owner of the shop didn't necessarily need help, but he made an exception for Bucky. Bucky wasn't sure if it was because of his ties to Cap, or if Mr. Lee was taking pity on him for Steve's sake, but he wasn't about to complain.

The job was simple enough; show up every morning at 8 am to open up shop, sweep the floor, dust the shelves, take care of any overnight deliveries, and man the cash register while being as charming as possible until Mr. Lee arrived at noon. Basically, Bucky was hired so Mr. Lee had an excuse to sleep in every day.

After leaving work, Bucky would go home for lunch and do chores for his ma until she either felt sorry for him, or it was time to get Becca. Technically, Becca was old enough to walk home by herself, but it gave Bucky something to do and Becca attached herself to her brother whenever possible. Every day, Bucky was at St. Peter's School for Girls at exactly 3 pm and every day at exactly 3 pm, Becca would come bounding down the steps and run into Bucky's one armed embrace.

As the two walked home, Becca would talk about all the latest gossip and Bucky would smile and nod as if he didn't have a gaping hole in his heart. Once they got home, Becca would start her homework and Bucky would help his ma with dinner. His life wasn't perfect by any means, but at least he was trying. That was something, right?

X-X-X

Bucky was so _bored._ And depressed. The boredom only added to his depression and it seemed he'd grown incapable of feeling anything else. He'd lived the same day every day for three months. Maybe that was his own fault, but Bucky didn't really see much point in doing anything else. His parents tried to get him to go out with his old buddies, but most of them were either dead or forever changed by the war. Becca, bless her, had told him that a good old fashioned date would help and she'd even gone as far as trying to set him up. Bucky had only laughed and said he wasn't interested in twelve-year old's.

Honestly, the only excitement that Bucky got was reading about whether or not Howard Stark was a traitor in the newspapers. All that really did was make Bucky miss the war, which was so disgusting and selfish. What kind of sick person missed the worst war in the history of mankind? But it was also the only time in his life that things were going good.

Steve had finally been healthy and he even seemed happy. They didn't have to worry about rent, and when they were off duty, they'd had fun. That's what Bucky missed. He despised the killing and the blood and the all out, gut churning hatred the war had brought, but he missed his team. He missed his brothers, especially Steve.

But that was never going to change and moping never helped nobody. So, when his pa asked about his day, Bucky smiled and bit his cheek. When his ma asked how he was feeling, Bucky lied through his teeth. When Becca yakked away at him, Bucky nodded as if he was paying attention. Nothing was ever going to change.

Until it did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah. I added a Stan Lee cameo.


	4. Mr. Stark

Bucky wiped off the counter top for the millionth time that morning. It was ten o' clock on a Monday, which meant that the adults were working and the kids were in school, meaning no business. No business meant that Bucky was bored. A bored Bucky used to mean trouble, but now not so much. They had gotten a new shipment of Captain America comics that morning and Bucky was officially bored enough to read them.

He sighed as he picked up the brightly colored comic. The cover depicted Steve, bigger than life, waving the Flag proudly, and an annoying pre-teen Bucky. Bucky barely held back his grimace. It was bad enough that the USO made up fake adventures for him and Steve, but did he have to be a tween?!

Bucky rolled his eyes but read the blasted thing anyway. It was getting pretty ridiculous; tween-Bucky had just been kidnapped by a grown man wearing a purple sock on his face. Ugh, these writers seriously lacked imagination. Despite how much he loathed the comic, Bucky was really getting into it. So much so that he failed to notice the jingle of the door or the man standing in front of him.

"Ya know, some would call reading your own comic egotistical, Barnes." Howard Stark said loudly, causing Bucky to jump.

"Howard?" Bucky gaped.

"Not that I would know anything about being egotistical. But seriously, those comic books are just sad." Howard continued as if Bucky had never spoken.

"What can I do for you, Stark?" Bucky asked trying to sound annoyed, but the truth was, Howard showing up was the most excitement Bucky had gotten in months.

"It's not what you can do for me, well actually it is, but it's also about what I can do for you." Howard said, leaning on the counter. "I have a job opportunity for you."

Intrigued, Bucky leaned forward as well. "I'm listening."

"After my…little disagreement with the government, they don't totally trust me." Howard started.

"Ya don't say." Bucky snarked. Howard rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, the only way the S.S.R. is willing to let me continue my work is if I allow someone they trust to babysit me. And seeing as you're _the_ Bucky Barnes, and you're actually a pretty good mechanic, I thought I'd offer you a job."

Bucky gaped. "So, I'd be your…?"

"Oh, you'd be my assistant. You'd fetch me coffee and hand me wrenches and things like that. Maybe I'd let you conduct a few of your own experiments as well."

Bucky's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Of course." Howard waved his hand. "You'd get a pretty handsome pay check and live in one of my estates. What do you say?"

"Yes!" Bucky agreed readily. There was no way he was gonna pass this up.

"Great! I'll send my butler down to move you upstate this weekend." With that, Howard sauntered out the door. Bucky stared after him, barely holding in his excitement.

X-X-X

Bucky had been practically vibrating for the rest of the day. He giddily gave Mr. Lee his less than a week's notice and skipped out the door. When he got home, he gave his ma a big kiss on the cheek and threw himself into his chores.

By dinner time, Bucky was still bouncing in his seat like he used to do as a child on the day before his birthday. Winifred gave into her curiosity. She had to know what had made her baby so happy.

"What happened at work today, Jaime?"

Bucky grinned wide and proud. "Howard Stark offered me a job and I accepted."

"That's wonderful, son!" George declared. He'd began to fear that once he was gone, his son would wind up on the streets. Working for Stark Industries could set Bucky up for life if he played his cards right.

"What are you going to be doing?" Winifred asked enthusiastically.

"Well, on paper, I'll be babysitting Stark for the S.S.R., but Stark wants me to assist him in his experiments." Bucky bragged excitedly. It was the first time since before the war that Winifred had seen her son truly happy.

"I'm so happy for you, Jaime-boy!" she said as she stood up to hug him. Bucky laughed into her embrace.


	5. The New Job

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do ya'll think so far? Comments are appreciated!

Rebecca pouted as Mr. Jarvis loaded the last of her brother's things into the fancy convertible. She had just gotten her brother back, and now he was leaving her all over again. With all of the luggage having been packed, Mr. Jarvis waited outside to give the Barnes family some privacy as they said their goodbyes.

Winifred tried her hardest not to cry as she hugged Bucky goodbye. It wasn't like she was sending him off to war again. Bucky was just moving a couple hours away. George smiled as he shook Bucky's hand.

"I'm very proud of you, James."

"Thanks, Pop." Bucky dropped the hand shake and pulled his father in for a real hug. George thumped him on the back lovingly and stepped back.

"I love you, Becca." Bucky called to his sister who was standing on the edge of the room. She continued to pout and Bucky wasn't going to force a hug on her if she didn't want one. "Well, I guess this is it. I'll call tonight after dinner."

Bucky was halfway out the door when Becca shrieked "Wait!" and tackled him to the ground. Bucky smiled and brought his arm around her.

"I love you too."

X-X-X

In theory, a two-hour trip wasn't that bad. In reality, it was kinda dull, especially when the only thing on the radio was the Captain America Adventure Show. Bucky hated it almost as much as the comic books. It one-dimensionalized Steve and belittled Peggy.

"Ms. Carter is not overly fond of the show either." Jarvis said, "but my wife and I quite enjoy it. I find it rather riveting."

"And completely unrealistic." Bucky answered. "Steve never would have gone for a dame he would've constantly had to rescue. And Peggy has never needed rescuing."

"While I never had the honor of making Captain Rogers' acquaintance, from what I've heard of him, I'd have to agree with you. I have had the pleasure of, I dare say, befriending Ms. Carter and you are correct. She has never needed rescuing."

Bucky grinned. He could tell that he was going to like this guy.

X-X-X

By the time Jarvis pulled into the long driveway of Howard's mansion, it was well after dark and neither Jarvis nor Bucky had eaten yet. As Jarvis parked and exited the car, a petite red head stepped out onto the front porch.

"There you are, Edwin darling." She called in a European accent. "I was growing rather worried."

"Not to worry my dear, we simply got underway later than expected."

Bucky excited the car and smiled sheepishly. "That might have been my fault."

"Oh nonsense." She smiled warmly. "I'm just glad you got here safely."

"Sergeant Barnes," Jarvis said as he rounded the car to get the bags, "may I introduce my wife Anna? Anna, this is Sergeant James Barnes."

"It's a pleasure, Sergeant."

"I'm not a sergeant anymore, ma'am. Please call me Bucky."

Anna nodded. "You two must be hungry, I've got soup and sandwiches on the stove."

Bucky's mouth watered. "Lead the way."

X-X-X

The sun was out and the birds were chirping and Bucky had absolutely no desire to leave his fluffy, king sized bed. That is, no desire until he smelled the heavenly aroma of cinnamon buns. His stomach grumbled loudly and Mrs. Jarvis' call of "Breakfast is ready!" was enough to motivate him to rise and shine.

By the time Bucky got to the dining room, Mrs. Jarvis had set the table with coffee, fruit, cinnamon buns, sausage, and eggs. Yup, Bucky could definitely get used to living like this. Howard was already seated at the head of the table, smearing cream cheese on a cinnamon bun.

"Morning Barnes." He mumbled mostly into his coffee.

"Stark," Bucky acknowledged.

"Oh Bucky," Anna greeted, "I trust you had a good sleep?"

"Best sleep of my life." Bucky agreed as he helped himself to some coffee.

"Good. You can invent today." Howard declared. The weapon's expert looked as if he hadn't slept in a week. "Anna, I need more coffee."

Anna rolled her eyes but refilled his cup anyway. "You wouldn't need so much coffee if you had just gone to bed like I told you to."

Howard grunted and took a swig of coffee. "Well, now that I have an assistant, I won't have to stay up all night."

Bucky narrowed his eyes. "I'm not staying up past midnight without sleeping until noon."

"Fair enough." Howard agreed as he stood up. "Thank you, Anna. Come on, Barnes. Time for work."

Bucky grinned in excitement and absolutely did _not_ skip after him.


	6. Meeting Someone New

Inventing had its ups and downs. Over the past week, Howard had managed to create two separate, but deadly bombs (completely by accident), a statewide blackout (there's no proof that was him), and a way to implode plastic. Meanwhile, Bucky discovered many solid objects to duck under while Howard destroyed things. Suffice it to say, the S.S.R. was less than pleased.

"Hey Howard," Bucky called, waving a letter, "Some guy named Chief Thompson wants you to quit "being an expensive pain in my-"" Bucky was cut off by a triumphant "Aha!" followed by a puff of smoke.

Buck rolled his eyes and crossed the lab to make sure Stark wasn't dead. The inventor popped his soot-smeared face up from behind his hover-car-in-the-making and glared at Bucky.

"Don't listen to anything Thompson has to say."

"He's in charge of the organization that funds you, Stark." Bucky said as he waved the letter for emphasis.

"He's head of an office that's only a small division of the organization that funds me. He's small potatoes with little man syndrome."

"Well, could you at least consider not being destructive for a couple of days?"

"You got it, pal." Howard snapped his goggles back into place before disappearing under the hover car once more.

"I'm going shopping with Anna, do you need anything?" Howard grunted in reply.

Bucky shrugged and headed to the driveway to meet up with Mrs. Jarvis. He didn't necessarily want to go shopping, but sitting in Howard's lab all day was starting to lose its appeal. He grabbed the grocery list off of the kitchen counter and strode out the front door.

Anna was already waiting next to the car wearing a very bright yellow dress and a pleasant smile. "It is very nice of you to join me today, Bucky. I normally go all by myself."

"Mr. Jarvis doesn't go with you?" Bucky queried.

"When he has the time, he does. Recently, he has begun assisting Miss Carter when Mr. Stark has no need of him."

"How is Carter?" He asked as he opened the driver's door for Anna. Thanks to his arm, he couldn't drive. Anna nodded in appreciation.

"Well, I have yet to make her acquaintance, but Edwin speaks very highly of her."

"I wouldn't expect anything else." Bucky said as he slide into the passenger's seat. "Where are we going first?"

"Jones' Fresh Market." Anna replied as she put the car in gear. "Did you get the list?"

"Yep." He patted his pocket for emphasis. "But I don't understand why we need "five gallons of fluorine.""

Anna laughed.

X-X-X

"Alright, can you get the fruit while I get what we need for dinner tonight?" Anna asked, holding the list.

"Sure. What kind of fruit do we need?" Bucky replied as they entered the store.

"Honestly whatever you want. Mr. Stark never seems to care anyway."

Bucky shrugged and headed toward the big sign that read 'FRUIT' in all caps. Upon reaching the fruit isle, Bucky realized his first in a series of mistakes; he only had one arm and had forgotten to grab a grocery cart. He debated over whether or not he should go back to the front of the store and get one when he made his second mistake; he chose not to. His third mistake was attempting to carry five plumbs, a box of strawberries, and a pineapple one handed.

His final mistake was not paying attention to where he was going and smacking into someone. It was truly magnificent. All the fruit went flying, Bucky managed to get knocked onto his rear, and the person he ran into landed in his lap. It took Bucky's stunned brain a moment to realize that the person in his lap was, in fact, a gorgeous woman. The woman on the other hand, not so long.

"Are you serious?" She grumbled, "watch where you're going!"

"I'm so sorry-" Bucky stuttered. He tried to offer her a hand up but she beat him to it.

"Ugh, that's the third time this week! And I'll never get this stain outta my dress!" the woman bemoaned.

"I am really sorry, ma'am." Bucky apologized once more after stumbling to his feet. Once he was fully upright, the woman noticed his empty sleeve.

"It wasn't your fault." She sighed. "I'm Rosemarie, let me help you with your fruit."

"I'm Bucky." He replied, "you don't have to help, I've got it." He was never this awkward around pretty dames before the war.

"I'm happy to help." Rosemarie countered. "Well, not really. But my father hired me to help, so like it or not, you're about to get the best help of your life."

Bucky couldn't help but grin as the two bent down to collect his wayward fruit. As they made their way to the check out, Rosemarie asked, "What kind of name is Bucky anyway? Did your parents hate you or something?"

Bucky's grin widened. "Actually, my name is James. But my friend thought that was boring, so he started calling me Bucky, from my middle name Buchanan."

Rosemarie shrugged. "Whatever floats your boat, _James._ " She said as she placed his fruit on the checkout counter.

"Thank you for the _amazing_ help, _Rosie._ " Bucky deadpanned.

Rosemarie glared at the nickname, and Bucky smiled innocently. It looked like he would be shopping with Anna a whole lot more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think of Rosemarie? I think this is just the beginning. ;)


	7. Rosie

Over the course of the next few months, Bucky accompanied Anna to Jones' Fresh Market whenever he had the chance. He liked to think that it was just to annoy Rosie, but lately, he couldn't get her outta his head. In the mornings, he'd see the pale green walls of the dining room and think of Rosie's sparkling green eyes. When he assisted Howard, he'd day-dream about her wild, barely contained brown curls. And whenever someone told a joke, he'd think of her beautiful smile and animated laugh. Bucky was definitely head over heels for Rosie. He would absolutely never admit to it, but he was.

"Hey, Barnes! Get your head outta the clouds and give me a hand with this!" Howard called from across the workshop.

Bucky snapped out of his Rosie-induced day-dream and went to help Stark with his latest project. They were working on a new device that could _cloak_ objects. More specifically, one that would cloak Howard's hover car. In Bucky's mind, that was almost as exciting as Rosie.

"How long until you think it'll be ready to test?" he asked Stark.

"Probably not much longer. I think that if we can reconfigure the cloaking rays to run off of the car battery instead of a power outlet then we'll be in business." Howard replied, snapping his goggles into place and got to work. He really didn't need them, but Bucky knew Howard thought he looked cool wearing them.

"What are you going to do with it once it's finished? I assume that you've already figured out you can't sell it to the public."

"Of course," Stark waved him off. "I'm going to fit the hover car with one, and sell the rest to the S.S.R.. Screwdriver."

"I'm sure Thompson will get a kick outta that." Bucky grinned as he handed over a screwdriver. "What are you planning on making next?"

Howard smiled his evil genius smile. "That's for me to know and you to find out." He took his almost-reconverted-cloaking-device over to the car. "Hey, isn't it about time for you and Anna to go shopping?"

"Are you trying to get rid of me?" Bucky asked.

"'Course not. Just don't want you to miss out on seeing your girl." Howard replied cheekily.

"She's not my girl, Stark." Bucky huffed, but made his way out of the lab anyway. "You want us to get you anything?"

"No, just need my lab assistant to get his head outta his butt and make a move on not-his-girl."

Bucky rolled his eyes and went to find Anna.

X-X-X

Rosemarie was manning the checkout counter and tried not to look like she was watching the clock. It was 4:30, her shift ended at 5:30 and Mrs. Jarvis, usually accompanied by James, always arrived by 4:45. But it wasn't like she was waiting for him or anything.

She smiled at Mrs. Williams as the older lady approached the counter. "Did you find everything ok today, ma'am?"

"Yes, dearie. I always do. Are you waiting for your young man to stop by?" Mrs. Williams smiled suggestively.

Rosemarie froze. "I don't have a young man." She declared, even as the image of James' boyish grin danced in her mind.

"Oh, of course not." Mrs. Williams winked sarcastically. "And it most certainly wouldn't be James Barnes of all people, either. Silly me."

"Absolutely." Rosemarie replied. After ringing Mrs. Williams up, she continued, "that'll be $2.37."

Mrs. Williams shelled out the money. "Don't look now," she said as she made to grab her bags, "but not-your-young-man just walked through the door."

Rosemarie sighed, but turned to look. Sure enough, it was James. Today he was wearing a blue button down shirt that brought out his eyes and tan slacks. _He's devastatingly handsome._ She thought before shaking her head.

James met her gaze from across the store and Rosemarie quickly averted her eyes. She most certainly did not have a crush on him, and she never would, thank you very much. James went on his way and Rosemarie very successfully did not follow him with her eyes. She managed to focus on her counter the entire time he was there.

"Hello, Rosie."

Well, almost the entire time. "Hello, James. Did you find everything alright?"

"Yes, I did. I can't wait for the day you ask me something exciting for once." He waggled his eyebrows.

"All right then," two could play at this game, "did you notice the star fruit? It's quite good."

"Now that is exciting. What's a star fruit?"

"It tastes a bit like an apple, and if you slice it right, it'll be shaped like a star." Rosemarie said before remembering his lack of an arm. _Can he even slice fruit?_

James, of course, wasn't bothered. "Well then, I'll have to try it next time."

"Be sure you do." Rosemarie recovered. "My father special orders them for the Fourth of July. We won't have them for much longer."

James' face did a funny thing where he looked like he'd been sucker punched. "Is it really almost the Fourth?" He choked out.

"Yes," she answered, puzzled. "It's next Tuesday."

"I need to go. Thanks." James stuttered as he slapped some money onto the counter before grabbing his groceries and dashing out the door.

Rosemarie looked after him, wandering what she'd said wrong. As she went to count the money James had left, she noticed he overpaid by almost four dollars. She huffed, deciding to return it to him the next day.


	8. Depression

Bucky was silent the entire ride home. Anna, who had been at the tailor shop across the street while Bucky was in the market, tried to engage him in conversation, but eventually gave up. Bucky felt bad about it, he really did, but honestly, he was too shell shocked to speak. The Fourth of July, Steve's birthday, was in less than a week and he had almost forgotten. Bucky had to close his eyes to blink back tears as a fresh wave of loss cut through him.

Anna pulled into the driveway and once inside, he headed straight to his room. He knew he'd have to talk to everyone eventually, but for now, he just wanted to be alone. He missed his punk.

X-X-X

"What's with him?" Howard asked as Barnes stormed passed.

"I haven't the slightest idea." Anna replied. "He's been like that since we left the market."

"Did something happen with his girl?"

"I'm not sure, he seems awfully sad."

"I'm sure he'll tell us eventually." Mr. Jarvis said as he entered the room. "How are you, Anna darling?"

X-X-X

Bucky ended up skipping dinner that night. For the first night in almost seven months, he cried himself to sleep. He cried for Steve, he cried for those who never made it home, but mostly, he cried for himself. Bucky thought he was finally getting better, but maybe he was wrong. He thought he was starting to live a normal life again, but all he'd done was embarrass himself in front of Rosie.

He sighed as the sun started to come up and began his morning routine. By the time he made it down for breakfast, everyone else was there. They all seemed to lose their ability to speak as he sat down.

Anna was the first to break the silence. "Would you like some eggs, Bucky?"

"That would be great, thanks." He plastered on a smile.

"So, you wanna tell us what's wrong, Barnes?" Howard asked in a rare moment of concern.

"Nothing. It's just that I remembered that Steve's birthday is next Tuesday. That's all."

Howard froze. "His birthday is on the Fourth?"

"Yep. He hated it too. Especially after the serum." Bucky grinned.

Howard had to put his coffee down because he was laughing so hard. "You mean to tell me," he managed in between giggles, "that Captain America's birthday is also America's birthday?"

"Can't get much more patriotic than that." Bucky claimed with a small grin. Even the Jarvis' were laughing.

The rest of the day went smoothly. While Bucky wasn't totally back to his normal cheery self, he did seem much better. He kept himself busy, doing Howard's bidding all afternoon. When Anna went to get Bucky for their daily shopping trip, he politely refused. He wasn't ready to face Rosie just yet.

"Are you sure?" Anna asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I think I'll just tinker around down here for a while."

"Alright then," Anna replied, "Do you have any special requests?"

Bucky's eyes watered slightly. "Star fruit."

X-X-X

It was 5:00 and Rosemarie was trying to simultaneously watch both the clock on the wall and the door. But she wasn't worried or anything. Absolutely not. She just found it odd that two of her usual customers had yet to show up. Yeah, that was it.

When the door did open, Rosemarie had to fight back her smile of relief. Her face fell, however, when Mrs. Jarvis stepped through by herself. Rosemarie shook herself. So James wasn't here. She wasn't about to let that bother her.

While Mrs. Jarvis made her way through the store, Rosemarie checked out three other customers and straightened up her work area. She tried not to let her disappointment show on her face.

"Good day, Rosemarie." Mrs. Jarvis said cheerily as she approached the counter.

"Hello, Mrs. Jarvis." Rosemarie replied as she went through the motions of ringing up the purchases. she only paused briefly when she saw the star fruit.

"Oh, enough of the "Mrs. Jarvis". I'm Anna." Mrs.-Anna demanded. "How are you doing today, my dear?"

"I'm doing well. Just waiting for my shift to end." Rosemarie answered, determined not to ask after James.

"I'm glad to hear it. I've been fairly buys myself, what with planning Mr. Stark's Independence Day party and all." Anna commented.

"I've heard that his parties can be quite excessive." Rosemarie said as she bagged the groceries. "That'll be $3.00."

"Yes, they can be. They can also take months to organize. You should come to this one." Anna said as she dug through her coin purse. "I'm sure Mr. Stark won't mind and Bucky would love to see you there."

"Oh, I'm not sure." Rosemarie deflected. "But speaking of James, he accidently overpaid me yesterday. Could you give this to him for me?" She asked, holding out the money.

"Of course, you can come!" Anna exclaimed, while refusing to take the money. "it'll be at 7pm at Stark's mansion on Tuesday. Just tell Mr. Jarvis that I invited you." And with that, Anna left. Rosemarie looked down at the money in her hand. It looked like she was going to a party


	9. Tuesday

Tuesday morning started out like any other day. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping and the sweet smell of coffee was invading Bucky's nose. With a groan, he threw off the blankets and dragged himself out of bed. After completing his morning routine, Bucky bounded down the stairs to investigate his breakfast options, fully prepared to ignore what day it was. His brilliant plan, however, was brought to a halt as soon as he reached the bottom of the stairs. The grand foyer was covered in red, white and blue streamers. Balloons had been blown up and there was a crew of men decorating both the mansion and the extensive backyard.

As Bucky made his way into the kitchen, he found Anna ordering around the massive kitchen staff that Howard only used for special occasions. "What's all this about?" He demanded more than asked.

"Good morning to you too, Bucky." Anna replied, placing a steaming mug of coffee in his hand.

Bucky rolled his eyes. "Good morning, Anna. How are you this morning. Thank you so much for the coffee."

"No need to be so sarcastic." Anna reprimanded as if she were his mother. "Howard's having his Independence Day party tonight and you are very much expected to attend." She told him sternly.

"Why?"

"Because, you are Mr. Stark's assistant and potential buyers of his inventions will want to meet you, because it would make for good press, because Mr. Stark asked you to be there, and because I will never make you coffee again if you don't go." Anna crossed her arms.

"Ok, ok, I'll be there." Bucky raised his hand in surrender. "But I'm not making a speech and I'm not going to spend the night talking about Captain America as if he was only a hero and not a person."

"You're not expected to." Anna relaxed. "I'm afraid you're on your own for breakfast this morning." She informed him before turning back to her kitchen staff.

Bucky huffed and drank his coffee. He wasn't really hungry anyway. Despite wanting to be angry with Stark for not telling him about the party, Bucky decided it wasn't worth it. Instead, he went down to the workshop to help his boss like the good little one-armed assistant he was.

Howard, being Howard, was not in the lab. In fact, after doing a quick search of the mansion, Bucky discovered that Howard wasn't anywhere. Figures.

"Hey, Anna?" Bucky popped his head back into the kitchen.

"Yes? I'm quite busy."

"Have you seen Howard?"

"Edwin drove Mr. Stark out to New York City this morning. They should be back a few hours before the party tonight, along with Ms. Carter."

"So, what am I supposed to do all day?" Bucky asked with raised eyebrows.

"Mr. Stark suggested that you call your family and enjoy the day off." And with that, Anna went back to her controlled chaos.

Calling his family did seem like a good idea. He hadn't really made the effort to talk to his folks on a regular basis and it was only a matter of time before his ma came knocking. Settling into his room, Bucky picked up his bedside telephone and dialed the number he knew by heart. The line only rang twice before Rebecca's voice answered.

"Hello?"

"Hiya, Becca." Bucky grinned.

"Bucky!" She shrieked, causing Bucky to jerk the phone away from his ear.

X-X-X

After a rather long call with his family (Bucky was glad Stark was footing the bill), Bucky spent the day lounging around the pool. He didn't really want to swim, but he couldn't think of anything else to do. Howard never really gave him an entire day off. Maybe it was time to fix that.

Bucky had spent about four hours in the pool and on the deck. He'd gotten pretty sunburned, but at last he wasn't so pale anymore. He was just about to head upstairs for a shower when Anna found him.

"Bucky! I've been looking for you." She called from the door. Bucky wrapped a pool towel around his waist and stood up to greet her. He only grimaced a little thanks to his sunburn.

"Hey, Anna. What's up?" He said as he approached her. He completely forgot he wasn't wearing a shirt and his scared left shoulder was on full display. Anna gaped momentarily at Bucky's left side before forcing herself to look him in the eyes.

"I just wanted to tell you that our guests are expected to arrive in two hours. You need to be cleaned and dressed by then." She said hurriedly.

Bucky frowned at her skittishness, but nodded. "Do I need to dress up?"

Anna nodded. "Nothing formal, but at least your Sunday Best." With that, Anna went back inside.

Bucky for the life of him couldn't figure out what had gotten into Anna, but he headed in to get showered anyway. Once he got to his room, he discarded his towel and left it on the floor, a habit he'd had since childhood. After he made his way into his attached bathroom and got a look at his reflection in the full-length mirror, he understood Anna's reaction.

His left side, particularly his stump, was covered in scars. Bucky usually tried not to think about it too much, but now, the scars were all he could see. He sped through his shower, not wanting to leave his scaring exposed for any longer than necessary. After he toweled off, he picked out a plain, red button up and a pair of slacks. Anna had said Sunday Best, rather than formal, so Bucky decided to forgo a tie. He couldn't manage to put one on by himself anyway.

After checking his hair in the mirror (it was a little longer than he used to wear it), Bucky made his way downstairs. As he stepped off the final step, the front door was thrown open and Howard sauntered in with Peggy Carter at his side. Bucky smiled despite himself.

"Hi, Peggy." He greeted. "Howard didn't tell me you were coming."

"It's nice to see you, James." She smiled. "How do you like working with Stark?"

"It's an adventure." Bucky smiled politely back. "How's the S.S.R. treating you?"

"Same as always. I do all the work and get none of the credit." Peggy said with a hint of scorn.

"I'm sure it'll get better."

The two made small talk for a few moments longer before Howard showed Peggy up to her room to freshen up. Apparently, she was going to stay for a few days. Bucky was surprised to find that he was happy about this situation. At some point, he began to consider Peggy a friend.

After Peggy disappeared upstairs, Bucky scampered off to the kitchen to help Anna (AKA, sample the food).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you guys ready for a party? I actually wrote the next chapter on the fourth of July like the nerd I am.   
> Thoughts? Comments so far? They give me life.


	10. The Party

The party was in full swing. There were close to two hundred guests. Howard was right at home, entertaining a gaggle of women by the pool deck. The Jarvis', after dinner had been served, had been given the rest of the night off and had disappeared to their rooms. Peggy was nowhere in sight and Bucky had long lost track of her. Bucky himself was leaning against the balcony rail overlooking the gardens, enjoying some time to himself.

Earlier, when all the guests were still arriving, Howard had forced Bucky to stand alongside him and greet the "important" guests. They ranged from scientists, mechanics, big company owners, fellow millionaires, S.S.R. agents and women. Bucky did his job and smiled like the good little assistant that he was, but inside, he hated it. Almost everyone knew who he was and almost everyone just had to ask questions. Needless to say, Bucky booked it out of there as soon as Howard gave him the all clear.

He was happily taking a sip of his champaign when he noticed a familiar face in the crowd. Rosie was standing just a little to the left of the pool deck. She was wearing a deep purple dress and had pinned her curls back into a fancy up do. Her eyes were roaming the yard, as if she were searching for someone and Bucky felt his heart beat quicken.

Without him realizing it, Bucky made his way off the balcony towards Rosie, when she saw him approaching, her eyes lit up like stars and she made her way towards him.

"Hello, Rosie. I didn't expect to see you here. It's a nice surprise." Bucky grinned. His smile faded however, as he recalled his last encounter with Rosie.

"Mrs. Jarvis told me to come." Rosemarie answered, barley reacting to the nickname. "You over paid me and I need to return your money." She said as she handed him his four dollars.

Bucky was a bit taken aback. "Was that the only reason you came?"

"Yes. Now if you'll excuse me." Rosie said as she made to leave.

Bucky didn't want to let that happen and he grabbed her hand. "Why don't you stay? It's not every day you get invited to a party at Stark's mansion."

Rosemarie tried to find an excuse to leave, but one look at Bucky's puppy eyes had her agreeing to stay. "Alright. But only because it's a _Stark_ party."

Bucky grinned. "Of course, that's the _only_ reason." He winked.

Rosie found herself blushing despite herself. This was not a date and she did _not_ like him. She had just come to return his money to him and now they were spending time together as friends. Yeah, that's it.

"So," she said, "what have you been up to? I see you've gotten some sun."

Bucky laughed, remembering his sunburn. "Howard gave me the day off, so I spent it swimming. And apparently, getting burned."

Coming up with nothing to say to that, Rosemarie nodded but stayed quiet. Bucky decided to turn up the charm.

"So, I'll bet you've never had a tour of one of Stark's mansions before." She only answered with a raised eyebrow. "Really? When?" Bucky asked, surprised.

"My father is friends with the man who built this estate. He gave my father and I a tour before Stark bought it."

"So, do you like architecture?" Bucky asked, realizing he didn't really know all that much about Rosie.

"Actually, I do. I want to design buildings one day, but they don't exactly take women." She replied, scorned.

He grimaced. "I'm sure if you can prove your worth, someone will take you. Times are changing. There are more women in the work force than ever these days." He remembered his first job hunt after the war, seeing more and more women hired to do what would've been previously considered man's work.

"As lovely as that is, I would still have to go to college for architecture, and that is something my father doesn't want to pay for."

"Huh." Bucky said awkwardly. Rosemarie took pity on him.

"If you want to give me a tour, I would appreciate it. I would love to see what Stark has done with it."

Bucky's face lit up. "I'd be happy to." He said as he offered her his arm. Rosemarie gave him a small smile of her own as she linked her arm with his.

X-X-X

An hour later found Bucky and Rosemarie back on the pool deck. The party was still going strong, but at least Howard and his gaggle of girls had moved elsewhere. Bucky was swelling with pride from all the things he'd managed to learn about Rosie.

She loved to design things, had a knack for organization, hated waking up early and yet loved cooking breakfast foods. She also had an older brother who had fought in the war. When Rosie mentioned that he'd actually gotten to meet _the_ Captain America though, Bucky stayed quiet.

Rosemarie, for her part, learned a little bit about Bucky. She was already half in love with Becca just from hearing Bucky gush about "his kid sister." Rosie was a bit annoyed when she discovered that he now knew more about herself than she knew about him.

"So," she said as they finished their tour, "I think you owe me an explanation for why you overpaid me and then made me chase you down."

"Um," Bucky muttered with wide eyes. "You caught me off guard. I realized that today would've been my friend's 27th birthday. I'm sorry I ran out on you."

"Did you lose him in the war?" Rosie asked. That was the story with more than half of the guys she knew.

"Yeah. He…uh," Bucky paused, not sure how much he wanted her to know about Steve and Captain America. He didn't want her to see him differently. "Well, he took down an enemy plane. He's been listed as MIA ever since." Steve was dead, that Bucky was sure of. He should've been listed KIA, but Peggy refused to update his file.

"Well, I'm sorry you lost him." Rosemarie patted his shoulder.

"Thanks." He nodded. "Are you sure I can't tempt you into a dance?" he asked, wanting to change the subject.

Rosie's laugh was like sunshine. "I'm going to have to decline that offer. I actually should be on my way home."

"Alright. Let me walk you to your car."

"I think I can handle it on my own, James." Rosie made to go.

"I had a nice time, Rosie. We should do this again sometime." Bucky smirked.

"Do what? Wander around Stark's house?"

"Go on a date." He answered as if it were obvious.

"This was not a date!" Rosemarie couldn't believe she was getting flustered.

"It kinda was, Rosie." Bucky's smirk turned into a grin.

"No, it wasn't. it was an evening where two adults engaged in friendly conversation."

"Well, we should "engage in friendly conversation" more often."

"Goodnight, James." Rosemarie declared as she walked away, not wanting to give into his silly games.

"Goodnight, Rosie! I really enjoyed our "friendly conversation"!" Bucky hollered after her.

Rosemarie hid a smile as she rolled her eyes.


	11. First Date

The entire week after the party saw Bucky walking on sunshine. He was walking with a spring in his step and had a grin permanently stuck to his face. Peggy stayed until the weekend, discussing all sorts of S.S.R. related things with Howard, which he either ignored or forgot. It wasn't that he was doing it on purpose (which he often did), he was just so close to finishing his hover car. The weekend had everyone cheering with glee because Howard had finally done it. The hover car was finished and was going for spins around the neighborhood.

Bucky was happy because it meant that Howard was going to take a break for a bit, which would give him some free time. Back before the war, when he'd had both the time and money, Bucky loved going to the pictures. Now, he was good and determined to take Rosie with him.

X-X-X

Rosemarie was working her usual Friday afternoon shift; restocking the shelfs and taking inventory on the things in the supply room. It was around one o' clock and she was almost ready to move on to her next task; counting the money in the cash register, when a big dumb man walked up to her with his big dumb smile and his big dumb eyes. Rosemarie was surprised to see him so early, but she wasn't going to say anything about it.

"Hello, James." She tried to sound as bored with him as possible.

"Good afternoon, Rosie." He sounded way too happy.

"What do you want?"

"Well, I was thinking that since I've got the day off and you get off at 5:30, then we could "engage in friendly conversation" tonight."

"What if I already made plans for tonight?"

Bucky didn't miss a beat. "Then I would wait until the next time I've got the day off and ask again."

"When will that be, James? I heard Stark keeps you pretty busy." She gave him a pointed look.

"I'm going to tell him to give me weekends off. Just think! We could spend every weekend "engaging in friendly conversation"!"

"Alright." Rosemarie said, accepting her fate. "What do you want to do tonight?"

"I can't tell you. It would ruin the surprise." Bucky flirted, eyes alight with mischief.

"Fine. Pick me up from here at seven." She wasn't going to admit she was intrigued. Because she wasn't. Not at all.

"Great! I'll see you then, doll." And with that, Bucky sauntered out of Jones' Fresh Market like he owned the place.

X-X-X

It was 6:45 and Bucky was dressed to the nines. He was wearing dark slacks, a blue button up and a jacket. He might have over done it a little, but he'd really wanted to impress Rosie. He hadn't ever felt like this about anyone before. Sure, he'd flirted a lot with the girls back in Brooklyn, but that had been just for fun. This felt serious somehow.

Howard had allowed him to borrow one of his cars for the night and, since he couldn't drive, Mr. Jarvis was his chauffer. Bucky felt a little weird about making Jarvis drive him around, but he said he didn't mind. In fact, he was ecstatic that Bucky was finally going out with Rosie. Apparently, Anna had been regularly updating both him and Stark about Bucky and Rosie's love life.

They pulled into the parking lot of Jones' Fresh Market five minutes early and Rosie was there waiting for him. Bucky grinned, she was here early too. Jarvis parked the car and Bucky hopped out to greet Rosie.

She was wearing a frilly pink dress matched with a pearl necklace and earrings. She looked perfect.

"Good evening, Ms. Jones." Bucky grinned boyishly as he offered his arm. "You look beautiful."

Rosie tried and failed to suppress a smile. "Thank you, James. You look rather nice yourself."

He led her over to the car and unhooked his arm from hers so he could get the door for her. She slid elegantly inside and Bucky closed the door after her before rounding the car to get in on the other side.

"So, where are we going, James?"

"Patience, Rosie." Bucky winked. "Mr. Jarvis, if you please."

"With pleasure, sir." Jarvis smiled as he pulled out of the parking lot.

The couple chatted happily until Jarvis pulled up alongside the city's resident movie theater. Rosie almost squealed in delight.

"How did you know I love the flickers?"

Bucky smiled broadly, they had something in common! "I didn't. I love them and was hoping you would too."

"I shall retrieve the two of you in precisely two and a half hours from now." Jarvis informed them as they got out of the car. "Have a good time."

"Thank you, Mr. Jarvis." Rosemarie said as Bucky went to go buy tickets.

Once they'd gotten their popcorn and sodas, they managed to find the perfect seats in the very center of the theater.

The movie was hilarious and had the both of them in stiches by the end of it. About half way through, Bucky casually reached his arm around Rosie's shoulders. She gave him what he had begun to call The Look, but didn't say anything. She'd even leaned her head against his shoulder. Bucky was glad the darkness could mask his goofy grin.

When the movie was over and the lights came back on, they slowly sauntered out of the theater, arm in arm.

"Well, we've got about 30 minutes before Jarvis comes back." Bucky said, checking his watch. "What would you like to do?"

"If you want, I suppose I'll let you buy me some ice cream."

"Yes ma'am!" Bucky cheered.

As they walked to the ice cream shop down the street, they talked about everything; the movie, their families, their jobs. They were so engrossed in their own little world that they were late to meet Jarvis.

X-X-X

Bucky walked Rosemarie up to the front porch of her parent's house with his heart on his sleeve. Rosie wasn't much better because she couldn't stop smiling for the life of her.

"Well, this is me." She said, even though she wasn't ready for him to go yet.

"I guess it is." Bucky answered, not ready to say goodnight yet himself.

"I had a fun time tonight, James. Thank you."

"I did too. Listen Rosie, there's something I gotta ask you."

"Hmm?"

"Could I have the privilege of going steady with you? Like, be your fella and all?" He was only a little nervous.

"I might have to think about it." Rosie said sarcastically, while her heart screamed _yes, yes, yes!_

"I'll buy you all the ice cream you want." Bucky sing songed.

"Oh, I suppose. If there's going to be ice cream involved." Rosie laughed.

Bucky was so happy, he forgot his manners and leaned down to kiss her cherry red lips. Rosie gave a squeak of surprise, but before Bucky could pull away, she wrapped both arms around his neck and pulled him closer.

Bucky pressed his hand to the small of her back and deepened the kiss as Rosie reached a hand up to play with his hair. They were so distracted that neither of them realized that the door had opened until a masculine voice loudly "ahemed."

The couple sprang apart and turned to look at the stern, balding man standing in the door with his arms crossed.

"Hi, Daddy." Rosemarie stuttered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooooh. Someone's in trouble.


	12. Budding Romances and Trips to Cali

Mr. Jones stood in the door glaring down at the boy who had dared to put his tongue down Rosemarie's throat. The boy had the decency to look guilty, but Mr. Jones only hardened his glare.

"Hi, Daddy." Rosemarie stuttered.

Mr. Jones turned to his daughter and softened his glare. "Rosemarie, come on inside."

Rosemarie kissed the boy on his cheek before doing as she was told. Mr. Jones' glare fell back upon the boy as she slipped past him. As soon as Rosemarie fully stepped away, Mr. Jones saw the boy's left stump. He eased his glare just a bit.

"So, you must be James."

"Yes, sir." James said, straightening.

"This should go with out saying, but if you hurt my daughter, they won't find your body." Mr. Jones declared while puffing himself up as big as he could.

"Yes, sir." James said again.

"Good. Now, what are your intentions toward Rosemarie?"

"Well, sir, I really like her." James began. "I think we could have a future together, sir. If she wants."

"Good answer. Because she wouldn't have let you kiss her unless she was serious about you." Mr. Jones said, relaxing his pose a bit.

James looked relieved. "Thank you, sir."

"If I find out that you've been anything but a gentleman, my threat wont just be a threat, James. Keep that in mind."

"Yes, sir." James repeated. Boy was this kid filled with words tonight.

"Alright. Goodnight, James."

"Goodnight, sir."

"Oh, and James," Mr. Jones called just as James turned away, "thank you for your service."

"You're welcome, sir."

X-X-X

"I see that went quite well." Jarvis commented pleasantly as Bucky got back in the car. "For a moment there, I thought he was going to tear your head form your shoulders."

"Oh, stuff it." Bucky rolled his eyes.

"It's a shame Anna wasn't here to witness it. I'm sure she would have enjoyed the show."

Bucky went out of his way to smack Jarvis.

X-X-X

True to his word, Bucky asked Howard for weekends off and Howard was very accommodating. Despite never going to college, Bucky was the most capable assistant Howard had ever had. He'd do a lot to keep him around.

With weekends free and a set number of hours to work during the work week, Bucky and Rosie found themselves spending more and more time together. Bucky still dropped by Jones' Fresh Market everyday to steal kisses and flirt obnoxiously until he was shoed out. They had also set Friday night as date night. And on Sunday mornings, Bucky even started attending Rosie's church.

It was safe to say that things were going well. Of course, that's when the universe decides to throw a curve ball.

X-X-X

"It'll just be a few weeks." Bucky sighed over the phone. "We can talk over the telephone every night, I promise."

"I'm going to hold you to that. I would appreciate more than a two-hour warning the next time you decide to travel across the country." Rosie lamented.

"I know, doll. I'm sorry. I called you as soon as I found out." Bucky said as he placed his clothes in his suitcase.

"Can you at least tell me why?"

"Peggy Carter, a friend from the war, is investigating a crime and asked for our help. Well, _she_ didn't ask specifically, but Howard decided that she needed help and now we're going to California."

"I've never heard of this Peggy before." Rosie said with an air of caution.

"Doll, you don't have to worry about Peggy. She, well, she was Steve's gal." Bucky had rarely spoken about Steve and it was still obviously a sore spot for him.

"Well then," Rosie sighed, accepting the situation, "you'd better bring me back a souvenir. And when you come back you're having lunch with my brother."

Bucky gave a put-upon sigh. Rosie's brother, Patrick, had been an officer in the war. Every time Rosie left him alone with the guy, he'd loved to start rambling on and on about tactics and strategies, analyzing the movements of both armies and gush about _the_ Captain America's brilliant battle plans. Bucky hated it and Rosie loved that it annoyed him.

"Fine." He groaned. "But I will not be held responsible if I die of boredom."

"You won't. If I'm feeling generous, and if my souvenir is up to snuff, I'll rescue you."

"Alright," Bucky cradled the phone to his ear while he zipped his bag closed. "I gotta get going. I'll call you tonight. Love ya."

"Love you too, James." Bucky could never tire of hearing those words. He hung up the phone and made his way downstairs.

X-X-X

California. Was. Hot. It was also very sunny. Bucky didn't see the appeal, but apparently Howard did. After exiting the plane, Howard came up behind Bucky and slung an arm across his shoulders while inhaling deeply.

"Do you smell that, Bucko?"

"What? Burning tarmac?" Bucky rolled his eyes.

"No!" Howard said, affronted. "Hollywood! I can practically smell the fame!"

"You're already famous, Howard." Bucky replied dryly. Luckily, Mr. Jarvis chose to bring the car around at that moment which saved him from any more nonsense.

X-X-X

Howard's house in California was much like his house in New York; extravagant and over the top. With one notable difference.

"Why?" Was all Bucky could ask, dumbfounded.

"I haven't the faintest idea." Jarvis said, staring at the flamingo in the living room. "It has become the bane of my existence."

"Please tell me that he's not coming home with us."

"You can't just expect me to leave Bernard!" Howard gasped as he walked into the room. "Of course he's coming back with us!"

Bucky and Jarvis both groaned.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I should have explained in the last chapter, but I got ahead of myself. This chapter deals with the end of Agent Carter Season 2. Mild spoilers if you haven't seen the show yet.

The whole trip to California was insane. Peggy had managed to land herself in the world's most awkward love triangle, a crazy movie star had been on a murder rampage using her newly acquired powers that she absorbed through "dark matter". Said movie star shot Anna, and Chief Thompson had been found dead in his hotel room. Bucky was glad to say that they would be going home soon.

Bucky had just gotten off the phone with Rosie, promising that yes, he had remembered her souvenir and that he would see her in two days. He went to head downstairs to check on Anna, but when he got to his door, Peggy was standing outside it with her hand poised to knock.

He blinked. "Hi, Peggy."

"James." She nodded. "Might I have a moment?"

"Sure." He opened the door wider to let her in.

Peggy rung her hands as she stepped into his bedroom. Bucky blinked at her again.

"Are you alright, Peg?"

"Oh, quite."

"Then what's wrong?"

"I…you know I truly did love Steve, correct?"

Well, that was out of left field. "Yes?"

"Good." She went back to wringing her hands.

"Peggy." Bucky said as he took one of her hands in his. "If you want to date Sousa, I understand."

"You…what?"

"You weren't exactly discreet, Pegs." Bucky laughed.

Peggy glared but smiled. "Thank you, James. You've become a dear friend and I didn't want you to think…" She trailed off.

"I wouldn't. You deserve to be happy."

"So do you, James."

X-X-X

Bucky had never been so happy to be home. Rosie had been waiting for him when he got back to Stark's mansion. They were in each other's arms within seconds.

"James," Rosemarie said between kisses, "after careful consideration, I've decided that you're not allowed to leave for that long ever again."

Bucky laughed and pressed a kiss to her temple. "Agreed."

X-X-X

After a brief discussion, Howard agreed to give Bucky some much needed time off. Bucky immediately convinced Rosie to take some time off and vacation with him. She agreed and after a severe lecture with Mr. Jones about abstinence and respect, the couple was on their way to Hawaii.

They spent two weeks exploring the island's beaches and wildlife. They also spent quite a bit of time getting to know each other better.

On the last day of their trip, Bucky made up his mind; Rosemarie was the only one for him. He loved her. He loved the way her curly hair frizzed up in the heat. He loved the way her eyes lit up when she was excited. He loved that she had a habit of biting her fingernails. Heck, he even loved her firm personality.

While Rosie was in her room (yes, they had separate hotel rooms) packing up, Bucky snuck out and went to the local jewelry store. The salesman was all too happy to show Bucky an extravagant assortment of engagement rings.

Knowing that his girl preferred simple, elegant things, Bucky chose a single, princess cut diamond set in a gold band. The salesman was overly excited while ringing Bucky's purchase up and even more so once Bucky told him to send the bill to Howard's mansion.

Bucky carefully tucked the velvet box into his pocket and sauntered back to the hotel. Hopefully, Rosie wouldn't notice how long he'd been gone.

X-X-X

Rosemarie had been home for two days now and she was having a hard time adjusting to real life.

Those two weeks spent with James were magical. She'd had boyfriends in the past, but this thing she had with James felt different. It was something special and precious. It should have been a shock to find that she loved him so fully, but it felt like the most natural thing in the world.

Rosemarie had spent her first day back at work in a dream like cloud. She just couldn't get James' boyish grin off her mind. She was currently trying to focus on restocking items when a single arm snaked around her waist and a solid body pressed against her back.

"Well, hello to you too." She smiled, turning around to give James a proper hug.

James grinned and kissed her nose. "I have something important we need to talk about. Can you meet me for dinner tonight?"

"Yes. Is something wrong?" Rosemarie leaned back to look him in the eye.

"Well, I have a new job opportunity with the government." James said seriously. "And I need to talk about it with you before I accept it."


	14. A Proposal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hear wedding bells...

Bucky waited nervously for Rosie to get off work. Tonight, was going to be big. Earlier that day, Peggy had showed up to tell him about the changes being made to the S.S.R. it was going to become a new branch that would monitor the world and be ready to defend it. Peggy had been assigned to name the new organization and she decided on the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division. He laughed when he realized that the initials spelled out "SHIELD."

Peggy had offered to give both Bucky and Howard executive roles in creating the new division and Howard accepted without hesitation. Bucky needed to think about it though.

If he and Howard both took he jobs, they would have to relocate to Washington D.C. Obviously, this wasn't a problem for Howard, but for Bucky, it would mean leaving Rosie and his family behind.

If Howard took the job and Bucky did not, then he'd have to find another job and new living arrangements. He'd rather not try for a new job because there would be very few people willing to hire him.

Or, option three (and the one he liked the best) would be to marry Rosie and take her with him to D.C. However, Bucky wasn't sure if she would agree to that. It would be hard for her to completely uproot her life and move to a city she didn't know.

Bucky palmed the velvet box in his pocket, wondering if Rosie would even say yes to him. Let alone move for him. His wandering thoughts were interrupted wen Rosie herself stepped out of the store.

"Hello, James." She greeted, reaching up to give him a hello kiss.

"Hi, doll." Bucky kissed back, before taking her hand in his. "You ready?"

Rosie nodded and he led her down the street to a little diner they both liked.

"So, what was so important that you couldn't tell me earlier?" Rosie asked as soon as they were seated.

Bucky took a breath and went for it. "Peggy Carter, my friend I went to help in California, works for the S.S.R." Bucky paused to be sure Rosie knew what that was.

"I've heard of it. Wasn't that the organization that created Captain America?"

"Yes, it was. The S.S.R. is being reformed into a new branch. Peggy is going to be one of its leaders and she offered me a position there." He made sure to look Rosie in the eye. "The pay would be more than I'm making now, and the hours would be steady. The only catch is that I would have to move to D.C."

"Then you'd be leaving me." The hurt in Rosie's voice was tangible.

"No! Of course not." Bucky reached across the table to place his single hand on both of hers. "I want you to come with me. In fact," he retracted his hand to pull out the box. "I want you to go with me, as my wife."

Rosie's hurt expression changed to one of joy. "I would love to. But I'm going to need a proper proposal."

Bucky grinned like a little boy. "Really?!"

Rosie laughed. "Yes, but I'm still waiting on my proposal."

Bucky scrambled to get down on one knee. "Rosemarie Jones, would you make me the happiest man alive and be my wife?"

"Well, since you asked so nicely, I guess so." Rosie leaned down and Bucky leaned up to kiss. The entire restaurant broke out in applause.

X-X-X

After a long conversation with Mr. and Mrs. Jones, Bucky got their blessings and Patrick happily welcomed Bucky into the family. Bucky's parents were excited, and Becca was thrilled at the idea of finally having a sister.

The wedding was beautiful and simple. They got married at Rosie's church and Bucky's family came up from Brooklyn to wish them well. Howard, Peggy and the Jarvis' were present as well. Patrick almost had a heart attack when he met Peggy.

"You're, you're _Captain America's_ … you're um. You and Cap were…" he stammered out. "I, well, it's a pleasure to meet you Agent Carter."

Rosie smacked Bucky. "You never told me that your pal Steve was _that_ Steve."

"I didn't think it mattered." Bucky shrugged.

Rosie was about to reply when Patrick cut her off. "Oh my gosh. That means that you're, you're a Howling Commando!"

"And that's why I didn't tell him." Bucky joked to his new wife. Rosie laughed.


	15. Big Changes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is kind of just the highlights of what happens over the next few years.

Constructing an international government agency was not easy. There was a lot of paperwork, kissing up to government higher ups, conference meetings and over all stress. After their honeymoon, the newly wedded couple barley saw much of each other.

Bucky was kept busy with paper work and planning, while Rosie was busy designing the buildings Bucky would work in. as soon as Peggy found out that Rosie was interested in architecture and design, she arranged for Rosie to intern under the head architect. He grumped for a while about Rosie having zero college experience, but Peggy simply enrolled Rosie in college.

These days, Rosie spent her time split between classes and interning. Money was a bit tight between her and Bucky and they were so busy they agreed it would be better to wait to have children, at least until Rosie graduated.

Rosemarie had mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, she wanted to stay at home and give her husband children and take care of their home. But on the other hand, this was the chance she'd always dreamed of. Bucky assured her that he didn't mind not having a family right away. He just wanted her to be happy.

As they expected, the next few years were busy. The agency started out small, but soon grew into a global organization. Due to her exceptional work and dedication, Peggy had been named Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. It was a huge breakthrough for women everywhere. Bucky honestly couldn't be prouder.

Howard became S.H.I.E.L.D.'s leading scientist, while Bucky was in charge of the task force. At first, he protested the need to have such a force. They just survived one war, they didn't need to start another.

However, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s mission was to protect people, to "be the shield." That would be pretty hard to do without some muscle. So, Bucky chose his men carefully and trained them to protect and defend first and foremost.

After a few years of hard work and excellence, Rosie graduated at the top of her class. Peggy proudly gave her a permanent position the day she graduated. The two women had become great friends over the years. Rosie was even Peggy's maid of honor at her and Souza's wedding.

X-X-X

"Jackson, watch your left! You need to be aware of _all_ of your surroundings at all times!" Bucky called as Jackson and Backler spared. "Backler, you need to stay light on your feet!"

It had been a long day of training. Bucky's first group of trainees had graduated and were now a full-fledged strike force. Now it was time to train a new group of recruits. They had only started last week, but they weren't catching on as quickly as Bucky wanted them to.

The match in front of him ended with both recruits on the floor and Jackson tapping out. Just as his recruits were lining up at attention, Howard entered the gym.

"All right recruits," Bucky barked while eying Howard, "that's it for today. I expect to see your shinning faces bright and early tomorrow morning. Dismissed."

The men fled before Bucky could change his mind.

"What can I do for you, Howard?" Bucky asked his friend.

"If you could be out in the field again, would you want to be?" Howard asked by way of answering.

That threw Bucky off. Of course, he did envy his men because they could still see action, but his arm made him more of a liability than an asset. "I don't know if you noticed or not Howard, but I kind of can't hold a rifle anymore."

"But that's just it. What if you _could._ " Howard emphasized.

Bucky narrowed his eyes. "What are you getting at?"  
"I've been looking into prosthetics recently and I think I can build one for you." Howard pulled a diagram out of his pocket. "This wouldn't be just any prosthetic. You would be able to control it just like your other arm."

Bucky looked at the diagram and down at his stump.

"Think about it. You could go back in the field if you wanted. You could hold your wife with both hands." Howard said kindly.

"How would it work?"

"Well, first I would need to take your measurements so I could build it to fit you. Once its built, I'd have to surgically graft it into your shoulder. It's not going to be an easy process, but I'm sure it will work."

Bucky looked back at Howard's diagram, imagining how simple life could be with two arms instead of one. He could wear his wedding ring on his finger rather than on his dog tags. He could put his arm around Rosie and he could properly train his men. Decision made, Bucky smiled and met Howard's waiting gaze.

"Yes."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Bucky wont be lopsided no more! Whaddya think about that?


	16. Big and Bigger News

"You want my approval for what?" Director Carter asked looking at her two closest friends.

"I'm going to make Bucko an arm, Pegs." Howard stated as if it was obvious. "By this time next year, he won't be lopsided anymore!"

"Why exactly do you need my approval? You've never asked me for that on any of your other projects." Peggy crossed her arms.

"Because I'll need time off for the replacement surgery and for physical therapy." Bucky answered. "I know this will take time, so I won't be able to train the guppies anymore."

"If this is really something you want James, I can't deny you. Have you spoken with Rosemarie about it?" Peggy uncrossed her arms and bent over her desk to sign off on the paperwork.

"I haven't had the chance." Peggy paused to look back up at Bucky. "Howard only brought it up thirty minutes ago."

"I'm not signing off on this until Rosemarie agrees, James." Peggy said plainly. "This will affect her as well."

"I know that, Peg." Bucky said seriously. "I'm not gonna go through with it unless she gives me the go ahead."

"But," Howard butted in only to back down when Bucky gave him a sharp look.

"This is as much her decision as it is mine. I'll talk to her tonight."

"Good man," Peggy praised. "I have no doubt that she will approve, but she deserves to be consulted with. Now, if she agrees, James will need to locate a suitable replacement for his work and Howard, you will give your full attention to this. I want this done right."

"You know I can't put a project down, Peg." Howard huffed, his ego bruised.

"I was actually thinking of asking the other Commandoes if they would want to join S.H.I.E.L.D. as either agents or trainers." Bucky suggested.

"Now, that is an idea." Peggy grinned fondly. "Very well. Talk to your wife and then call your team, Barnes. Now both of you, shoo. I've got work to do."

X-X-X

Rosemarie was making her way home from the hospital with a spring in her step. In the past few weeks, she'd been suffering from dizzy spells and had even vomited multiple times. She was fairly concerned she'd contracted something awful, but when she was late for her menstrual cycle, she knew it was something else entirely.

As on of her neighbors was a nurse, Rosemarie was able to make an appointment with a doctor relatively quickly. The doctor confirmed that her suspicions were true and Rosemarie left elated.

As she made her way up to her apartment, her neighbor Susan caught up with her.

"So, what did Dr. Miller say, Rosemarie?" Susan asked as she balanced a bag of groceries on her hip. "I'm sorry I couldn't get you in to see him on one of my shifts."

"Oh, its fine, Susan. I'm just thankful you were able to get me seen." Rosemarie smiled at her friend. "Dr. Miller said I'm about six weeks pregnant! The baby should be born around February."

"That's wonderful!" Susan squealed, giving Rosemarie a one-armed hug. "I'm so happy for you!"

"You'll help me, right?" Rosemarie asked. As Susan already had two kids of her own, she was a wealth of experience.

"Of course I will." Susan agreed readily. "I've got to go get dinner ready, but how about you come over on Saturday?"

"I'll see you then! Thanks again, Susan!" Rosemarie waved to her friend before entering her own apartment. She couldn't wait to tell James.

X-X-X

Rosemarie was just putting the finishing touches on dinner when Bucky walked in the door.

"Hi, doll." He greeted, giving her a kiss to the temple. "How are you feeling?"

Rosie circled her arms around Bucky's neck and gave him a passionate kiss. "I'm ecstatic." She breathed when they parted for air.

"I can tell." Bucky murmured, chasing her lips.

The couple continued to neck in their small kitchen for several moments before separating.

"I've got some big news." Bucky announced, pulling Rosie's char out for her and fetching their dinner plates.

"I bet I've got even bigger news." Rosie challenged as her husband sat down across from her.

"Oh, yeah? What is it?"

"You go first." Rosie grinned mischievously. "I want mine to win."

"All right." Bucky set his fork down. "Howard thinks he can build a new arm for me. What's your news?"

"Oh, I've definitely won." Rosie folded her hands under her chin. "You're going to be a daddy."

Bucky blinked in shock. "What?"

"I'm pregnant." Rosie smiled wide.

In less than three seconds, Bucky was out of his chair and had Rosie in a one-armed embrace. "Really? How did- when?"

"I found out this morning." Rosie guided Bucky's hand to her flat stomach. "We're going to be parents."

Bucky laughed joyously and twirled his wife. Dinner could wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Raise your hand if you're excited for Baby Barnes!


	17. Baby Names

The months leading up to February were busy ones. Rosemarie continued to look flawless even as her body changed to accommodate her little passenger. Howard had tried to call the baby a parasite, but Bucky put a quick and effective end to that. After finding out about the baby, Peggy gave both parents an ecstatic kiss on the cheek and almost a full year's leave of absence.

Bucky spent that time preparing the nursery for the newest addition to their family and checking in with Howard for the progression of his arm. So far, everything looked good. They would do the replacement surgery one month before the baby was due. That way, Bucky would have time to recover and be able to hold his newborn.

Rosie was grateful for the time off work, but with all the extra time on her hands, she was overthinking things. She'd read countless baby books and been over to Susan's for advice almost every day. She was just so worried about messing things up.

Despite her husband's constant assurances that she would be a great mom, Rosemarie was still nervous.

X-X-X

The soon to be parents were lounging on their sofa listening to the radio and enjoying the other's presence.

"We need to think about names." Rosie spoke softly, entwining her fingers with Bucky's on the crest of her belly.

"As long as we're not naming the poor kid James, I'm happy." Bucky murmured sleepily into Rosie's curly hair.

Rosie twisted around to look at him. "Why not James, James?"

Bucky gave her a look. "That sentence should be reason enough."

Rosemarie raised an eyebrow.

"It's an awful name and I won't do that to my kid."

"Fine." Rosie waved her hand, but her tone said they'd have this discussion again later. "What if it's a girl?"

"Let's name her Lilly or Daisy or somethin'. Then she can match her ma, both named after flowers." He mumbled, in serous danger of dozing off.

"Alright, if it's a girl, you can name her after a flower." Rosie rolled her eyes. After a glance at the clock, she decided it was bedtime. "Come on, sleepy head. Let's turn in for the night."

X-X-X

As James' surgery date approached, Rosemarie couldn't help but notice a few things about her baby. She was definitely sure it was going to be a boy, even though everyone told her there was no way to know for sure. She just knew. Another thing she noticed was that according to both her doctor and her pregnancy books, she was progressing faster than she should have been.

Dr. Miller had warned the parents that it was quite possible that the baby would come early. James was worried about this, but Rosemarie refused to accept it. She arrived everywhere exactly on time and so would her baby.

James had offered to postpone his surgery until a few months after the baby had been born, but Rosemarie wouldn't have it.

X-X-X

"Alright, I think we're ready." Howard announced as the doctor inserted the needle into Bucky's arm. "You'll be out for a good while, but when you wake up, you'll be a whole person!" he joked.

Bucky rolled his eyes at his friend's bad attempt at humor. "Are you sure you're ok with this?" he asked his wife for the hundredth time.

Rosie had complained of cramps earlier that morning, but shrugged them off. Despite the cramps, Rosie nodded and kissed her husband. "I'm fine and I'll be waiting her when you wake up."

Rosie had been waiting in the hospital lounge for half an hour with Peggy when her water broke.

"Uh, Peggy?" She looked up with wide eyes.

"Yes, darling?" Peggy responded, eyes not leaving her files.

"My water broke." Rosie gasped with a tinge of panic in her voice.

"Your what?" Peggy dropped her files and moved to examine the younger woman.

"My baby's coming. And James isn't here!"

"Calm down, darling. Everything is going to be alright." Peggy hushed her as she waved over a few nurses.

"I can't!" Tears were flowing down Rosie's face both from pain and panic. "James is going to miss his son's birth. I can't believe I let this happen."

One of the nurses ran off to get Dr. Miller while the other went to get a wheel chair. Peggy knelt in front of Rosie and grabbed her hands. "Rosemarie, look at me. James knew how close you were to giving birth. This is not your fault."

Rosie could only nod.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to clarify, Bucky's got the super soldier serum thanks to Zola. Thanks to that, the new baby has the serum too, meaning that he's developing faster than other babies. Of course, his parents don't know that yet.


	18. James Junior

Eight long hours later, Rosemarie was proudly holding her nursing son while her husband slept off his anesthesia. After Dr. Miller had arrived, Rosemarie had been taken to the maternity ward. Peggy had gone to see if it was possible for Howard to abort James' surgery, but they were too in depth to stop. Instead of her husband holding her hand through labor, it was Peggy and Anna.

After a final push, the doctors were able to confirm what Rosemarie had been saying for months. They had a boy. Rosemarie knew just what to name him too.

Rosemarie smiled fondly as she rocked her baby back and forth. At first, Peggy tried to change her mind about the name, but in the end laughed and gave in.

"It serves James right." She had declared. "But this little man will need a nickname of some sort."

"I'm calling him J.J." Rosemarie smiled.

"That's perfect." Peggy agreed, gazing at her godson.

James moaned, causing Rosemarie to look over at him. "Hey, sleepyhead." She whispered.

James blinked his eyes open and stared blearily around the room before his gaze fell on his wife and son. His eyes widened. "Is that…?"

Rosemarie nodded and scooted her rocking chair closer to James. "It's a boy."

James' entire face lit up, despite the drugs still in his system. "A boy?"

"Would you like to hold him, Daddy?" James nodded and Rosemarie helped him to cradle their son with his good arm.

"He's perfect." James whispered in awe. "I'm so sorry I missed it."

"Don't worry. I got back at you for that." Rosemarie assured him.

X-X-X

Bucky mock glared at his wife. "Tell me you didn't." He pleaded.

"I did." Rosie said proudly. "James Buchanan Barnes, meet James Buchanan Barnes Junior. J.J. for short."

Bucky groaned and let his head fall back against the pillow. "I am so sorry, kid." He said to his sleeping son. "I promise to protect you from your mother form now on."

Rosie smacked him on the shoulder for that.

X-X-X

Being new parents was _hard_. Being new parents and relearning how to use an arm was even more intense. Rosie spent most of her time nursing and holding J.J. and the rest of it sleeping. Bucky divided his attention between his wife and son and his own physical therapy.

Instead of attaching the prosthetic to Bucky's shoulder like he originally thought to, Howard made a "port" for the arm to lock into and detach form at the end of Bucky's stump. This gave Bucky the choice to take it off or not.

When he was at home, Bucky preferred not to wear it. He was still pretty clumsy while wearing it and he didn't want to accidently hurt J.J. However, he wore it all the time when he was out and was slowly starting to get used to it.

Meanwhile, J.J. was growing like a weed. He out grew all of his new born clothing fairly quickly and Rosie had to scramble to keep up with him. Soon he was able to lift his head all by himself. Over the months, he began rolling around on the floor and soon even began crawling.

Eventually, his parents had to go back to work and J.J. was left in Anna's very capable hands during the day. Mr. Jarvis was secretly pleased with this development, as he was concerned Anna would never find peace with her inability to have children due to her wounds from California.

X-X-X

Over the next year, J.J. continued to grow and change. Bucky's favorite part of the day was driving home with his wife and being greeted by his happy toddler when they walked through the door. These days, Bucky was wearing his arm all the time, except for at night when the battery needed to charge.

Bucky was almost brought to tears every time he bent down to pick his little man up or hug Rosie. He never thought he'd get this chance.

Bucky was marveling over all these things when he heard the phone ring. Setting J.J. down, he wandered over to answer it.

"Barnes."

"I just went over your last physical." Peggy said by way of hello. "Congratulations, Agent Barnes. You are officially back on active duty."

"Thanks Peg, but you couldn't have waited to tell me that Monday? It's a Saturday."

"I know. I had to look into something and I've got bad news. I'm going to need you to reassemble the Commandoes."

His heart thudded in his chest. "What's wrong?"

"Hydra is trying to resurface."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, not Hydra! What will they do?


	19. Old Enemies

It was true. Hydra was trying to come out of the ground. Bucky immediately focused on burning the heads for good this time. Scouting missions had confirmed activity in Europe and Bucky was organizing his teams accordingly. The team he would be personally leading was going to be gone for months. Bucky felt guilty about leaving his family for that long, but if it meant his son would grow up in a free world, Bucky was glad to do this.

"You had better come back to me alive." Rosie ordered as she stood with her husband next to the door.

"I came back form war once. I can do it again." Bucky smiled cheekily to mask the turmoil storming inside him.

"I'm serious." Rosie planted her hands on either side of his face. "I can't raise our kids without you."

"Wait, what." He paused at her slip. "Are you?"

A tear trialed down Rosie's face. "I am. And I need you to come home." Never in her life did Rosemarie think she would be a crying pregnant lady, but here she was.

Bucky wiped her tears away. "I promise you, I'll be back."

"You better be." Rosie agreed before dragging him down for a kiss.

X-X-X

Bucky had arrived in Europe optimistic about shutting Hydra down quickly and being home in time for dinner. However, they'd been there for two months now and were no closer to finishing their mission than when they'd started.

As soon as they managed to shut one base down, another popped up. So far, every Hydra agent they'd managed to capture was an underling and either didn't know anything or took a cyanide capsule. It felt like all they'd managed to get was a whole lot of nothing and Bucky was ready to scream.

"Agent Barnes!" A lower ranking agent called as he entered Bucky's office. They had been using an old S.S.R. building as their home base in Europe. As much as Bucky appreciated being able to use the base, he was getting sick of being there.

"What is it, Gibbs?" He called, looking up from his work.

"The latest scouting mission is back. They say they found the enemy's headquarters, sir."

"Finally! Call everyone in for a briefing in an hour. And get both strike teams ready to move out." Bucky was out of his chair and through the office door in a flash. Gibbs sprinted to keep up with him.

"Bucky!" Bucky turned at the sound of his name to see Dum Dum. "We found it!" He cheered.

"And I'm going to destroy it." Bucky promised.

X-X-X

It was a trap. A big, bloody trap. Half of the strike force was dead and the other half was scrambled and fighting for their lives. Bucky should have known, it had been too easy. His teams were ambushed the second they were within sight of the base.

Bucky had only barley managed to call HQ and order an air strike. This base, if it even was a base, would be destroyed and hopefully, some Hydra scum would go with it.

"Gibbs!" Bucky shouted over the frenzy, "call everyone back! This place is gonna blow!"

Bucky didn't wait around for a reply. Instead, he sprinted into the fray to pull his men back himself. Thankfully, they hadn't yet managed to breach the fort and his men were already outside. He just had to keep them far enough away.

By the time Bucky had reached the thickest part of the action, the men who still had their radios were in full retreat. Armed with his rifle, Bucky did his best to defend his men's backs while checking for anyone left behind.

His gut rolled at the sight of his dead agents. They were so young and inexperienced. He shouldn't have let them in the field. One of the bodies moved, drawing his attention.

"Help… Agent…" he called out.

Bucky lowered his gun and bent to haul the younger man over his shoulder. "It's alright. I've got you."

Bullets were flying. Explosions went off, signaling that the air strike finally came. It was time to leave. With one final glance behind him, Bucky took off, following his men. The injured agent a dead weight against his shoulder only minimally slowed his pace.

Bucky thought they were in the clear, he really did. He must have been drastically off because an explosion went off three feet from his ten o'clock, knocking him off his feet. Bucky lost his grip on the other agent as shrapnel from the bomb tore at his prosthetic arm and torso. Then everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry! Please don't hurt me!


	20. Recovery

Reality came back to Bucky in snippets. He was vaguely aware of being transported on a cot and the people around him but he couldn't focus. His body felt like it was on fire and he was so sleepy. He blacked out again.

The next time he awoke, Bucky was in a hospital wrapped in gauze tape. Someone had removed his arm and Dum Dum was snoring in the chair next to his bed. Bucky went back to sleep.

The third time Bucky woke up, it was for good. His body felt much better and he wanted answers. Looking around, there was no one in his room, so Bucky got out of bed to see if he could find someone.

This was inevitably a bad idea. As soon as he was upright, his legs gave out and he fell with a strangled shout. It wasn't too bad though, because as soon as he thudded to the floor, several foot steps came racing toward him.

Dum Dum cursed under his breath as he helped his friend up. "Why didn't you stay in bed ya moron?"

"Why'd ya leave me alone?" Bucky grumped back.

"I needed to take a leak." His friend shrugged as they got Bucky situated back on the bed.

"Now that you're awake Agent Barnes, we need to discuss some things with you." Said the doctor holding a clipboard.

"I'll leave to give you fellas some privacy." Dum Dum patted Bucky's shoulder before stepping out of the room.

"First things first, Agent. You suffered a mild concussion and multiple lacerations. Unfortunately, your prosthetic could not be salvaged and has been removed. Which I'm sure you've noticed." The doctor pushed his glasses further up his nose and continued. "I've sent your full medical file back to S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ in America and Director Carter has ordered you off active duty. You are to be sent back as soon as you are well enough to travel."

"I can't just leave!" Bucky protested. "I need to stay here and finish this. I can't leave my men."

"Those are your orders, Agent. I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do."

"Fine." Bucky grit his teeth. "Has anyone contacted my wife?"

"Agent Dugan called her as soon as you were stabilized. Your wife does not seem pleased." The doctor emphasized his point by pointing to the large stack of mail on Bucky's bedside table. Looking through them, every one of them was from Rosie and addressed to "My Idiot Husband."

Bucky groaned but was also grateful. If Rosie was sending him letters, she couldn't be that mad.

X-X-X

Less than a week later, Bucky found himself back in the good old US of A, waiting for Peggy in her office. Despite becoming close friends over the years, Bucky couldn't shake the feeling of being called into the principal's office.

Once he'd gotten home, he'd received an earful from his wife about not dying, followed by a passionate night of being reunited. The next day, Howard had stopped by to give him the newest arm replacement. This one matched his skin tone and all most looked real. Along with the arm, Howard brought Bucky's latest orders of meeting with Peggy. Thus, the trip to the principal's office.

The clicking of heels against the tile floor alerted Bucky of Peggy's arrival and he stood at attention.

"Thank you, Woods. That will be all." Peggy dismissed her assistant before acknowledging Bucky. "Sit down, James." She ordered, her tone no nonsense.

Bucky rushed to do as he was told. Peggy went about organizing the papers on her desk, making a show of taking her time.

"The doctors sent me your medical reports." She said conversationally. "When were you going to tell me you have he super soldier serum?" now she looked at him, hurt mixing with anger.

"I figured I had it, to some degree." Bucky answered honestly. "But after Steve died, I decided it would be best for super soldiers to die with him.

"Be as that may, I'm your superior and if you're on active duty, I am entitled to know of the enhancements you have."

"I didn't want it to be on file. But you're right. I should have told you." Bucky conceded.

Peggy deflated. "I understand your position. I'll be sure to keep this out of your records." Peggy smiled then, "at least this explains why my godson seems to be smarter and quicker than he should be at his age."

Bucky's eyes bulged out of his head. "I never even considered that." Face muffled in his hands, he muttered, "Rosie is going to kill me."

Peggy laughed loudly. "That she is. I want you to take the rest of the week off. Spend some time with your family."

"But what about Hydra?"

Peggy's face sobered. "I'll take care of them. I'll call you in if I need you."

"Be sure you do." Bucky nodded before leaving the large office.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Peggy was Not Happy. Oh well, at least they know about the serum now.   
> Comments? Pretty please?


	21. Namesakes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my goodness, guys. We are almost done!

The week James spent at home was one of the best Rosemarie had in forever. The two months he was gone had Rosemarie pacing with worry and stressed with raising J.J. while she loved her little boy to pieces, it seemed he had entered his terrible two's a few months early.

Rosemarie had also been concerned about her unborn baby. She wasn't even four months pregnant and the baby was already making herself known. Yes, just like with J.J., Rosemarie knew this child would be a girl. And this time, she had James convinced as well.

"I get to name her, right?" he had asked one night at the dinner table.

Rosemarie glanced over at him from attempting to feed J.J. his mashed carrots. "Pardon?"

"Before J.J. was born, we agreed if we had a girl, I could name her." James shrugged, shoveling mashed potatoes in his mouth.

"I guess we did agree to that." Rosemarie grinned, going back to feeding J.J. "What did you have in mind?"

"It's a surprise." James smiled innocently.

"As long as it's not something awful, I'll go along with it."

"I promise not to do to our daughter what you did to J.J." James promised solemnly, hand over his heart.

At the sound of his name, J.J. turned and smiled at his father. "Dada." He squealed, making grabby hands.

"That's right, Junior." James bopped him on the nose, causing his son to squeal in delight. "I won't let your sister have a terrible name, will I?"

Rosemarie could only shake her head and laugh.

X-X-X

Life went on and Rosie's pregnancy progressed with only mild discomfort. Peggy had managed to use the strike teams to corner Hydra and Bucky was able to be there when the final head was cut. Once Hydra was officially gone for good, a strange sense of peace rested on Bucky. This is what Steve had died for and it was finally done. He avenged Steve's death and they could all finally move on.

Once the threat had been neutralized, Bucky went back to training new recruits. It wasn't as exciting as actual field duty, but it kept him safe and he was able to go home to his family every night.

About six months into her pregnancy, Rosie had decided that their little two-bedroom apartment was not going to hold their growing family for much longer, so they decided to move. The move itself was insane. Both Bucky's folks and Rosie's had come to help and Howard had even bought a semi-truck masquerading as a simple moving truck.

Having both their families over at once was crazy all in itself. Rebecca immediately started crushing on Patrick and took to following him around when she wasn't fawning over her nephew. Patrick, for is part stuttered awkwardly around Becca and had no earthly idea of how to interact with J.J. At least both sets of parents got along.

Winifred and Mrs. Jones had gotten right to work preparing the nursery for the new baby. J.J. seemed confused about all the new changes, but was happy to "help" his grandmas decorate. Soon enough, the Barnes family was fully moved and settled into their new home. J.J.'s second birthday came and went and both their extended families returned to New York.

Rosie was again put on maternity leave under Peggy's orders and spent her days playing with her son and talking to her unborn daughter. In the later stages of her pregnancy, her belly had grown and her daughter became increasingly more active. Rosie found it challenging to even get out of bed some days.

It was almost one in the morning and Rosemarie could not get to sleep. She was either too hot or too cold and her baby would not settle down. James had long sense fallen asleep and Rosemarie didn't want to disturb him, but she was _uncomfortable._ That was when the oh so familiar cramps started, followed by the wetness of her water breaking.

"James." She gasped, shaking her husband awake. "James, wake up."

Years of light sleeping had Bucky jolting awake instantly. "Wha's wrong?"

"My water broke."

X-X-X

Twelve achingly long hours of labor later, Rosie was right again and their little daughter was brought into the world. Bucky gazed down at her in wonder as Rosie watched. She was absolutely exhausted, but it had been worth it.

"What do you want to name her?" Rosie yawned. "It's your turn to pick as long as its not awful."

Bucky smiled and stroked his daughter's dark hair. "Stephanie Margaret. But I'm calling her Stevie."

"I think he would have liked that." Rosie agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aww. What do you think of Stevie?  
> Only one more chapter left!


	22. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We did it! We made it to the end!

Stevie Barnes checked her mail box while fishing her key out of her purse. Retrieving her stack of mail, she let herself into her studio apartment and shuffled through her letters. A few bills, her pay check, a post card from her brother and Tony, the usual haul. Leaving the mostly unopened letters on the kitchen table, Stevie went to change out of her S.H.I.E.L.D. issued uniform.

Tossing her curly brown hair into a messy bun, she headed over to the couch to enjoy a quiet night in with a good book. The book was her father's, but she'd read it so many times he eventually gave in and let her keep it. Stevie smiled as her hands closed around the familiar pages and settled into the cushions.

Not five minutes later, her cell phone went off. Groaning, Stevie leaned over and answered it. "This is Agent Barnes."

"Stevie." Coulson answered. "I need you to come in." So much for a quiet night in.

X-X-X

Stevie looked form the monitor to Coulson and back to the monitor. The screen displayed a man in a staged room, sleeping soundly and very much not dead.

"So, you're telling me that he's really…" She trailed off.

Coulson nodded. "DNA samples confirmed it. That is really Captain Rogers and he really is alive."

"Have you notified my father?" Stevie asked.

"Not yet, your father is technically retired so we called you. Medical reports that he'll most likely wake up soon and we wanted you to be here for that." Coulson explained. "We figured you could break the news to him."

"He died seven years before I was born, Coulson. He won't recognize me." Stevie deadpanned.

"You look enough like your father that it would convince him."

Stevie raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying I look like a guy, Coulson?"

"No, of course not." Coulson stumbled. "It's just the family resemblance and…" he trailed off as Stevie tilted her head back and laughed.

"I'm messing with you, Phil." Stevie shook her head at him. "I'll call my dad. You make arrangements to transport him here from Brooklyn." With that, Stevie turned down the hall, dialing her father's phone number by heart.

"Hi Dad. You'll never believe this…"

X-X-X

Steve awoke to stiff muscles and a warm bed. Wait. That wasn't right. He shouldn't have woken up at all. Furrowing his brow, Steve took a good look around the room until his gaze fell on a woman who looked way too much like Becca Barnes for his liking.

"Good afternoon, Captain." She said, setting down an old book. A quick glance at it told him it was the book he'd given Bucky before he shipped out. What were these people playing at?

"Where am I?" Steve demanded, standing up to make himself bigger.

The woman barely reacted. "You're in New York. I know this must be strange and confusing, but I promise you're safe, Captain."

That answer didn't add up. Steve asked again. "Where. Am. I."

This time the woman stood up and Steve was taken aback by the familiarity of her eyes. "I told you. You're in New York. You are safe and you need to calm down."

She spoke with such authority that Steve stood down slightly. "Who _are_ you?"

She smiled genuinely. "You're a close friend of my father's. He even went and named me after you." She stuck her hand out. "I'm Stevie Barnes and it's a pleasure to meet you, Captain."

Steve sank down on to the bed. Just looking at her features gave him no doubt that she was telling the truth. Which could only mean one thing. "How long was I gone?"

"Almost seventy years." The woman- Bucky's daughter- said kindly. A knock on the door broke the moment and she got up to answer it. While she spoke to whoever it was, Steve caved in on himself. Seventy years. Everyone he knew was probably dead. A tap on his shoulder broke him out of his musings.

"There's someone who really wants to see you." Stevie smiled. "Are you up for a visitor?"

Steve nodded passively, not wanting to think about who it could be. His namesake (and why did Bucky have to go and name a kid after him) left him alone with his thoughts.

"Steven Grant. I outta smack you." A familiar voice announced, rousing Steve. He looked up to see an old, withered face.

"Bucky?"

Bucky smiled and spread both (both!) arms wide. "Come 'ere ya punk."

Steve stumbled over and fell into his friend's embrace. Bucky held him tightly as if he was afraid to let go. "Welcome home. I missed you."

End.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, thanks to the fancy serum, Bucky is only physically in his seventies rather than close to a hundred. Likewise, Stevie is about forty five instead of in her sixties.   
> Let me know what you guys thought of this story! If it is popular enough, I may write a sequel featuring J.J. and Stevie growing up along with Tony. Thank you so much for reading!


End file.
